Another World
by LE McMurray
Summary: Into Daniel and Sha're's happy world comes someone about to change everything.


Author's Notes: Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.

* * *

I stood at the entrance to the cavern watching my husband work. He was completely oblivious to the fact that everyone else had left for their evening meal and only he and I were left. I continued to watch him for a short time smiling all the while. I loved to watch my husband so intent on his studies. Finally I called his name.

"Sha're?" he smiled looking surprised to see me there until he realised we were alone.

"It's time for dinner," I laughed reaching my hand out to him, "Are you coming?"

Daniel took my hand moving in and very softly kissing me before he moved down to kiss my swollen stomach where our child was growing. After almost five years of marriage I was finally with child. We had no idea why it had taken so long but the moment we had resigned ourselves to being childless I suddenly discovered I was pregnant.

It was hard not to laugh remembering my husband's reaction to the news. We were resting on the wall watching the sunset when I told him, he was so shocked he lost his balance and fell backwards into the sand.

x

We walked slowly to where everyone was already eating. My Father sat in his usual place watching over everyone as leader and Patriarch. He smiled to see us approaching his grin widening when Daniel sat me down beside my Father before going to get dinner for both of us. It amused me how he had been waiting on me like this since we discovered my pregnancy. I found it nice to have him do all this for me; no one I knew had a husband so considerate. I was indeed lucky.

"Where is Skaara?" I asked at the lack of my younger brother.

My Father smiled, "He and his bride excused themselves from tonight's gathering."

I laughed, "It is good to see him so happy."

Father squeezed my hand, "Both my children married and happy. Now all I need is my grandchildren."

"A few more months Father," I chided resting my hand on my bump, "We have waited long enough let us not hurry the child."

He laughed as Daniel joined us. He handed me my dinner before settling himself beside me.

"Where's Skaara?" he asked.

"He is spending time with Tiana," I told my husband who grinned at me until I swatted him playfully on the arm.

The rest of the meal was spent discussing the generalities of daily life while all during it Daniel's hand rested lightly on my leg.

x

The fire died down and everyone started to drift away to their homes. Daniel took my hand as we walked slowly home. We made ourselves ready for bed our routine rarely changed; my Daniel as always made his days entry in his journal while I readied myself for bed. Joining my husband in our bed I felt him slide his hand slowly along where our baby lay. He moved closer to me and initiated a deep kiss.

Much later both of us exhausted I felt him spoon up behind me his hands resting on my stomach his warm breath on my skin.

"Goodnight love," he whispered softly kissing my ear.

"Goodnight Dan'iel," I replied as sleep pulled me down.

* * *

I awoke to find my husband was already up and working. A smile touched my lips as I saw he had made me breakfast. This was not as awful a prospect as it used to be, when Daniel had first arrived his cooking was more a test of my willpower not to hurt his feelings but he had improved greatly over the past few years.

"Are you joining me today?" he asked hopefully.

I spent certain days working in the cave, studying side by side with my husband learning all I could. I could speak English very well these days, I had insisted on it when Daniel first arrived so I could understand him when he dreamed or when his mind went off on a tangent, which it did often. I could also not only speak three other languages from his home French, Spanish and Latin but also read and write them.

My husband was very impressed by how fast I learned and teased me that I had been born in the wrong place. I reminded him that if I had been born somewhere else I would not be married to him. That shut him up fast.

"Yes," I finally told him, "I have made sure I can join you not only today but for the next three days."

Daniel grinned leaning over to kiss me, "That's fabulous."

"I know," I smiled back taking his hand and squeezing it tightly.

x

Lunch was near and Daniel leaned back stretching his back. I slipped up behind him and slid my hands onto his neck gently rubbing away the tension I felt there.

"Shall we take a walk?" I asked him.

Walking was our only option as opposed to Daniel's homeworld. He had told me all about the devices they used to move from place to place. We could only walk or ride the Mastadges but Daniel refuses to go near them. When I asked him about this he looked embarrassed and wouldn't tell me, I have ways however to get him to tell me anything I want so I finally discovered the truth. I could not help but laugh as he told me how he had tried to make friends with one when he first arrived on the planet only to be dragged from the pyramid to the mine. Since then he has always refused to go near them so we walk everywhere.

Daniel readily agreed to my suggestion and we decided to wander through the rest of the cave. The caves we were working in went deep underground and would take a lifetime to study it all. We wandered to a part we had yet to explore and despite all the incredible things around us Daniel was not at all interested in them as he pulled me closer with a grin.

"We are supposed to be working," I scolded teasingly.

"I thought we were on a break?" he pouted making me laugh while his arms tightened.

"You are incorrigible," I laughed.

"It's your bad influence," he told me as he started to kiss along my jaw to my ear making me shiver.

"Really?" I pretended to be offended not doing very well as his soft kisses continued, "Whose fault is this?" I placed his hand on my bump.

"Oh all yours," he moved back to give me an innocent look.

I punched his arm playfully before he kissed me properly. I wrapped my arms around him pulling him closer feeling the wall press into my back as he deepened the kiss.

"Dammit," a voice snapped from nearby.

Daniel pulled back and stared at me wanting to know if I'd heard it too.

"That was English," I voiced his thoughts, only Daniel and I really spoke it very often.

"That was not just English, that was someone with an American accent," Daniel's eyes were wide with worry.

That confused me slightly and Daniel smiled as he noticed.

"Remember I told you about the different countries," he said, "Look, I'll explain later the one thing we both know is that wasn't someone from Abydos.

That made me worry, "Who could it be?"

He took my hand, "Let's find out."

x

The torch Daniel carried flickered lighting our way through the corridors. I kept a tight grip on his hand beginning to think we should have went back for some of the others but Daniel was determined to discover the source of the voice straight away. I gasped in amazement when we entered a new unexplored cavern. It was filled with light with neither windows for the daylight nor torches. A slab of stone stood in the centre of the room and I suddenly saw a pair of legs behind it.

"Dan'iel," I called to him.

"I see him," Daniel replied as we ran to the body.

We both stopped in shock as lying there was the man who had come to Abydos with Daniel.

Colonel Jack O'Neill.

* * *

Daniel was pacing as I cleaned the wound on the shoulder of the injured man who was still unconscious.

"Dan'iel please sit down," I said irritated at his constant movement.

He sat down his hands nervously sliding around each other, "I don't get it, why now? What is he doing here?" he jumped up again to continue pacing, "How did he get here?"

"Dan'iel," I snapped, "Stop. He is injured, let us attend to that first."

He nodded but still looked worried. Ignoring him I finished with O'Neill's shoulder and moved to fix a cut on his forehead. As I leaned over and gently touched his head with the cloth he suddenly grabbed my throat. Daniel dived over as I choked trying to remove the vicelike grip O'Neill had on me.

"Jack," Daniel yelled desperately, "Jack let her go, Jack!!"

The man suddenly seemed to recognise Daniel and released me staring at my husband.

"Danny?" he stared, "What the hell happened to you?"

Daniel turned his back ignoring O'Neill checking I was all right, I could see the anger burning in his blue eyes. His hand grazed my cheek asking and I nodded I would be fine. Daniel finally turned back to man who was sitting looking dazed.

"What are you doing here?" my husband demanded of the other man.

"Getting really confused," he replied, "Daniel, I saw you not ten minutes ago looking very different."

"Colonel," Daniel said through gritted teeth, "Tell me what you're doing here and why you just attacked my wife?"

"Your…." he trailed off noticing me for the first time, "Oh damn."

Daniel glared at him, "What?"

"There wouldn't happened to have been a mirror where you two found me?" he asked us.

Daniel shrugged.

"There was a stone slab that shimmered," I said.

"Dammit," he jumped up looking around, "Great alternate reality time."

Daniel stared at him confused, "Colonel?"

"For crying out loud Daniel my name is Jack," he snapped, "You've used it often enough."

My husband was taken aback and stunned speechless momentarily.

"Col…Jack," I said, "Could you explain what you mean?"

He looked at me and smiled, "It's good to see you Sha're, you're looking well."

I blushed slightly but Daniel was still glaring angrily at Jack.

"Are you going to explain?" my husband demanded.

"Calm down Danny and I will," Jack said.

"Don't call me that," Daniel snapped.

Jack looked slightly shocked but nodded, "Sorry."

"Dan'iel," I soothed rubbing his shoulder gently, "Let Jack speak."

My husband still looked annoyed but sat down with me waiting for the story.

Jack frowned, "Never thought I'd have to explain this," he stopped, "Okay, for every decision you make you can make another one."

I frowned turning to my husband who shrugged.

"Daniel, I'll explain the way Carter explained to me then you can explain to Sha're later."

My husband nodded.

"You're at a party and decide to leave," Jack started, "As you're walking out you see someone you've been meaning to talk to. You go and say hi and start talking and end up not leaving."

Daniel nodded, "Go on."

"Now instead of going over you decide you'll phone them and leave the party," Jack continued, "You jump in your car and into the path of a drunk driver and you're dead. One small choice, two very different outcomes."

"So you're from another universe?" Daniel sounded sceptical.

"The first time I heard it I didn't believe," he cried, "But you convinced me."

"I…"

"The you I know," Jack cut him off, "Look, all we have to do is get back to the mirror and let me go home."

"You need to heal first," I told him.

He looked at me but I was not giving in and finally he nodded.

"Okay, I haven't been here for a while. I could use a break."

"I shall go and get some food," I told them, "You stay with our guest Dan'iel."

* * *

I had found some food and water for our guest. Daniel had occasionally wondered aloud about the man who had come with him to my planet. I had not come to know him very well but respected that he fought to free us and the bond he had formed with my brother. As I came closer to where they were Daniel suddenly stormed out his face filled with confusion unshed tears in his eyes. Anger filled me and I marched to where Jack stood watching Daniel walk away.

I recognised the look in Daniel's eyes from when he had first arrived when he would dream of the pain from his childhood. It took me a long time to assure him he wasn't going to wake up one morning and find me gone. Then almost a year after he had first arrived he dreamt they would come back through the Chappa-aii and make him leave, his fear was so real I decided rather than bury it under rocks to allow a message through we would bury it completely. Now this man had brought all the pain back to my husband and I was furious.

"What did you say to him?" I demanded.

"Look Sha're…" he tried to placate me but I was not allowing it.

"No," I cried, "Do you have any idea how long it took to get him to bring down his walls? How hard it was to make him believe he was no longer alone?"

"Yes I do," Jack told me softly.

He took my arms and looked directly into my eyes, "You have no idea how lucky you are. He wanted to know what was different about my world and you know what he's like when he wants to know something."

"You could have lied," I whispered.

"Not to him," Jack sighed, "You should go to him, he needs you just now."

"Where you are from," I said, "What happened?"

He frowned, "I can't. Just go and be with him."

He suddenly leaned over and gently kissed my forehead, I stared at him surprised before I went after my husband.

x

Daniel was sitting amongst the sand dunes his knees pulled up to his chest. I knelt beside him and touched his arm.

"My husband," I whispered softly.

He didn't move, refusing to look at me.

"Dan'iel please," I pleaded, "Let me in, don't shut me out again."

He finally turned round to me his eyes cloudy with pain, "I…didn't…"

"There is not here," I told him, "Here we are together and you shall be a father in a few months. Why worry about choices that we did not make?"

Finally a soft smile touched his lips, "Thank you love. You put everything in perspective as always," his arms wrapped around me holding me close making sure he could feel our child, "You mean everything to me Sha're. I couldn't live without you."

"You never will," I told him, "No matter what my husband I am a part of you and you are a part of me. No matter what happens, if we are separated by anything we shall never be alone because of our love."

* * *

Daniel was helping some of the others sort out Jack's way home as I sat with him.

"So how many kids you two got?" he asked me.

"This shall be our first," I reply shyly.

He looked surprised, "How long has it been since…"

"We tried for a long time," I whispered, "We have no children there?"

Jack hesitated, "There's a child and you both love him."

"He has missed you," I told him deciding to change the subject.

"I take it no one else has come through the Stargate?" he asked me.

"We buried it," I told him, "Dan'iel wanted to make sure nothing could ever return."

Jack nodded, "That's why we never re-established contact with you."

"It was the best thing," I told him.

He shrugged, "So what about the rest of your family?"

I smiled, "Father is the same as always looking forward to the child coming. Skaara is now married."

"Really?" Jack asked with a smile, "Who is she?"

"The daughter of the leader of a nearby farming community," I told him, "Dan'iel introduced them after our Fathers were meeting. They have been married over a week."

"Almost ready to leave?" Daniel interrupted coming in taking my hand.

Jack nodded, "Daniel, look remember what I told you earlier?"

"Clearly," my husband replied.

"It's going on here but Sha're said you actually buried the Gate," he continued, "You could be a great help to them."

"How?"

"Come on Daniel," Jack laughed, "You with all that junk in your head and ability to speak twenty-odd languages. You could help."

Daniel looked at me and I saw in his eyes he wanted to be able to help, he always had. He wanted people's lives to be better and hated seeing them in pain.

"If, and I stress it's an if how do I get back in touch with them?" Daniel asked, "You said they'll have a shield over the Gate."

"What happened to all our radio equipment?" Jack asked.

"We keep it in the pyramid," I told him, "It should still work."

"Then open the Gate, set it up and give me a call," Jack said, "Or him, whatever."

"Just an if," Daniel said, "Come on its time to go."

Jack nodded and we headed back to what he called the Quantum Mirror.

x

"Daniel," Jack said, as he stood ready to leave, "Think about what I said."

My husband nodded, "I will," and they shook hands quickly.

"Sha're," Jack turned to me and hugged me, "Take care of him and the little one."

"Look after yourself also," I replied, "Do not forget us."

"Never could sweetheart," he grinned at me.

He turned to the mirror, "Once I'm gone destroy it," with one last glance at us he touched it disappearing to the other side.

It suddenly became black and Daniel picked up the weapon left by Ra's guards and destroyed the Mirror with one blast. Turning back to me he dropped the weapon.

I slipped my arms around him and held him close, "It is your decision."

"No," he said, "It's our decision and one we'll make together."

Taking his hand I led him out of the cave and to the next part of our life.


End file.
